"Let's Do Lunch" Los Angeles, Film School and Employment Reality

One of the greatest turn offs for most people when it comes to getting into the film and media industry is the intense competition...in ways this competition is a stigma that transcends tonnes of cynical students and interested parties who have not been able to get in, or, have not made the right effort.

During my first trip to Los Angeles this summer I had the opportunity to meet up with an industry worker who is in development at a major television production company (sorry guys, won't say who) over some nice dinner with them I was given the raw description of how competitive and cutthroat the industry can be when integrating. It involves long hours and extreme amounts of overtime and ambition. You need to love your work and be determined to get where you want to go. As a Canadian, it would pretty much mean little to have my PA credentials in my resume if I am applying in LA, they want people who know people, and who have worked and experienced their system......the *cue angelic music* THE STUDIO SYSTEM.

this does not bother me one bit.

I am a fan of the idea that as long as I can network and get my name out there enough, someone will eventually bite. You have to try everything, get a good position at a film festival as a volunteer and non-intrusively network (which means wait for their card, don't give them yours), or get into a film program in the united states in the big Two film maker factories: The New York Film Academy (Spielberg, Pacino, etc) and UCLA (Mr Lucas...need I say more?) and from there grab entry level jobs through teaching connections. Fresh, keen and able hands on set are always wanted and if you are determined enough to work your way up, you can have your shots at the big jobs.

After Touring Universal Studios and Warner Brothers I was completely flabbergasted to be passing and walking on the sound stages of shows like Ellen, Chuck, Big Bang Theory, and Two and a Half men, and see the recreated sets of the War of the Worlds, Jaws, and the lots of Spiderman, The Mentalist and countless others. Knowing that these worlds and characters can be fabricated as an industry of imagination blows my mind and entices me more to work my way to becoming a Hollywood film maker. I apologize to those filmies out there who love their independent and guerrilla film making ways, sticking it to the American studio 'Man', but I am a lover of the mainstream, trapped in an independent world.

Because of this an amazing friend of mine decided to kidnap me for a weekend and took me to the open house of the New York Film Academy. She wanted me to see the possibilities of working with real production tools and learn the ropes of starting my film making career. After taking the tour, hearing the programs, and the potential to study either in New York, LA, or half and half, I was pretty much bought on the idea of learning the competitive ropes of my art in the Mecca of Movies, and because of that trip, I feel I have found my escape.

Many are intimidated by the cameras, lighting, and technicalities of being in film school, but learning by experimentation and careful instruction is a great way to start, and that is what you do in film school. What you gradually learn in a field over months or years you learn in weeks. If you are creative but not very technical or vice verse, they fill in the blanks and sculpt you into a creative and technical film maker with the actual tools of the trade, from 16 and 35 mm to HD.

Never hold back because it is too expensive or too hard, work an extra job and take a year to film and build a portfolio, apply for film school, volunteer, ANYTHING....just don't give up.

Because if you do give up, you give someone else a chance, and every time you see a bad movie, you will know you could have made one better. Hahahaha, well, maybe not the best guilt trip phrase but you get the picture.

Stay tuned for my upcoming blog on scoring and shot organization which will include some behind the scenes leaks of FDNN

Christian A.V. Petrozza

FDNN, Long Hiatus, and Upcoming

Hello Internet World and fellow readers.

During the summer I went on a blogger Hiatus without any due warning which I understand is a faux pas for my own promotional integrity. Although that may be the case, there is plenty that will be in store for you in the coming weeks.

Fuzzy Days Noir Nights has gone through a tough patch in which there has been little to no dedicated interest in volunteers to promote, foley record, voice act, and edit for. Which means that once again I am a post production one-man team. ON A GRAND NOTE though, I have potentially recruited an amazing friend who is a musical prodigy to play with some original score ideas. Having an original score for a project for the first time would be a great step forward and I couldn't ask for a better candidate to step up to the challenge. Because of these delays Fuzzy Days Noir Nights release will be posponed until further notice, but I will be updating during every blog a short blurb on its progress.

UP and COMING events!
As I edit for the show I am aslo doing the finishing touches on a music video for another friend for his song Too Much now on halt until i have a better grasp on my webseries, but I intend to get back to it in the near future. Soon I will be doing online research on one of my new favorite topic "the bluray reality debate" and a current local phenomenon in my house "the dropping of cable for download space" as well as some details about my trip to Los Angeles over the summer as i visited Warner Brothers and Universal Studios. As far as movie reviews go, there will probably be an Avatar Extended Edition issue I'll put out just before its release. until then, I'll be better at writing up these blogs for all of you. So stay tuned and take care

. Christian A.V. Petrozza

Editing Trailers, and the Webseries 'Fuzzy Days, Noir Nights'

Ever since I remember wanting to get into film (high school) I always gawked for days at the trailers of my most anticipated up-and-coming films, watching the previews twice or more a day to get pumped for the film. The fact that even after investing a couple of hours worth a month just re-watching these trailers and showing them to friends etc. continues remind me how impressive and fun it must be to be a trailer editor.


Trailers are more commonly known as previews, they show us some exciting plot points and enticing information about the film without giving too much away. In order to keep people excited for the film, I find most blockbusters leave you with a common phrase or image to remember the film by. For example, Avatar constantly had posters of profile shots of the Navi and recently, the Robin Hood trailer, one of my most anticipated films in a long time, has the fantastic use of phrase as Ridley Scott films usually do "Rise and Rise again, Until Lambs Become Lions". The phrase alone leaves shivers down my spine.

I kept these things in mind when editing my trailer for the webseries Fuzzy Days, Noir Nights,(FDNN) which will be released September 2010. Through the process of reading through the scripts, mapping out a Trailer Plot summary, and adding a few sounds, I realized how much fun and how little time it took me to edit it. I spent about 4 hours over two days putting together the trailer and the only proplem was trying to show exciting parts without giving things away.

So here's a few tips.
-if it's a show or series, put enticing and exciting shots out of episodal sequence, this keeps them guessing.
-play with your video effects like fade to white, brightness, simple stuff.
-make sure the people or the camera is moving during each shot when the plot picks up, keep it fresh and use as many angles as possible
-music is key, it drives the preview as much as the occasional dialogue. So as the grail crusader once said "choose, but, choose wisely"
-be sure to put a fresh character in the next shot, or at least a shot where they are in a completely different setting and costume, keep the colour flow constant, human attention spans are low, damn plebs ( :-) ).

But as far as I can tell they are the easiest promotional tool to get people to stay tuned and they can make or break a film. Now here are some production stills from FDNN and an awesome trailer for Robin Hood. Take note, this is what awesome looks like.



Christian A.V. Petrozza